Ghana sports thread

[Alex Roney]

Originally Posted by TshabalalaGH

Why the hell cant they fill up the Emirates!? Ghana v Nigeria in London!? Such a rivalry? You know how many Nigerians and Ghanaians are in London? They would fill an 80,000 stadium. We wouldn't need neutral fans

I highly doubt they would be able to fill out an 80,000 seater stadium for just African supporters. Besides a good portion of the seats in the Emirates are for season ticket holders and unless you could take their season tickets those seats would be emptied.

[BUTEMBO21]

Originally Posted by TshabalalaGH

Why the hell cant they fill up the Emirates!? Ghana v Nigeria in London!? Such a rivalry? You know how many Nigerians and Ghanaians are in London? They would fill an 80,000 stadium. We wouldn't need neutral fans

80,000 is awaay too much for Africans in London. 40,000 max would be like it.

If one can't fill 80,000 at home, not way will be filled abroad.

[jeff91]

Ghana and Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan has put his burgeoning music career on hold to concentrate on football.

This comes after two top former Ghana attackers expressed fears that his foray into the music industry will damage his chances of success in football.

Gyan is heavily involved on the local music scene in his country, featuring in a number of hit songs.

His latest duet with musician Castro – ‘Do the Dance’ – is climbing up the music charts.

An earlier offering from the duo, called ‘African Girls’, is the song of choice for many in Ghana.

But his frolics in the music industry did not go down well with legend Anthony Yeboah and Felix Aboagye which prompted his decision to bin it for now.“My two songs which have been top of the charts are okay for now. I have to concentrate on my football career,” Gyan said.

“I have heard people saying ‘he should concentrate on his football career’.

“But I am a very determined person with my job. Off the field I joke a lot but when it gets to work time I am fully concentrated.”

Despite his relative success as a recording artist, two former Black Stars strikers are concerned that Gyan’s musical interest might affect his concentration on the job at hand.

Former Leeds United and Hamburg goal machine Anthony Yeboah is one of several people in Ghana worried by the impact of Gyan’s music on his football.

Yeboah has gone on record to say that Gyan should “put the music aside and concentrate on the football.”

And that call has been echoed by former Ghana international Felix Aboagye.

Gyan says he will not allow his work ethic to slip because winning trophies with club and country remains his ultimate aim.

..

[jeff91]

Spanish side Real Sociedad are the latest club to express interest in signing Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari.

According to a report in Spanish newspaper Noticias, Sociedad are willing to pay three million Euros to sign the player from Inter Milan. According to the report, Sociedad have now made a formal bid for the Ghana enforcer.

The report added they are willing to meet the salary demands for Muntari to move to Spain but it unknown whether the midfielder is keen on the move.

This comes just two weeks after he rejected a proposed bumper move to Turkey to play for giants Galatasaray.

The Turkish giants slapped in a huge offer for the Ghanaian midfielder as they are ready to pay the $10m Inter Milan are asking for the left-winger.

Galatasaray also made a hard-to-resist salary offer to Muntari by doubling the wage he receives at the Italian which means the Turks are ready to pay him two million Euros per year.

The 26-year-old who is believed to be surplus to requirements at dethroned Italian champions Inter Milan after completing a six-month loan spell at English side Sunderland.

Muntari has also been heavily linked with Napoli and Sevilla.

..

[jeff91]

Ghanaian goalie joins Spanish side Tenerife

Ghanaian goalkeeper Razak Brimah has signed for Spanish side Tenerife after leaving rival Real Betis.

The 24-year-old signed the deal on Tuesday after agreeing terms over a permanent contract with the traditional club.Brimah signed a two-year contract with the club.

"I am delighted to sign for Tenerife and I am happy to join the club and help it achieve laurels," Brimah said.

Asked about his qualities, Razak said: "The truth is I do not like to talk much about myself. I have to prove myself everyday that I am in training. I work hard and fight challenges as they come."

"The bottom line in this life is to be humble. This is how I think I can achieve my goal."

The move could pave the way for the shot-stopper to get some regular playing time which was a problem for him at his previous club Betis.

The move would help him in his ambition to fight for a place in the Ghana national team.

Brimah made his debut with the first team Betis in the Copa del Rey match against Salamanca in September last year.

The goalkeeper was poached from Spanish second division side Polideportivo Ejido after he had excelled in the league two seasons ago.

..

[jeff91]

Ghana's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying opponents have been revealed with the Black Stars handed a Group D draw alongside Zambia, Sudan and either Lesotho or Burundi.

This followed the draw made in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday as 52 sides from the continent were paired in ten four-team sections.

Brazilian stars Cafu and Neymar assisted in the draw for the African Zone.

The Black Stars, seeded, who enjoyed a memorable last eight place at last year's World Cup after a debut round of 16 finish in 2006 would be attempting a third consecutive appearance when the begin the campaign in the second qualifying round.

Countries from the continent would be competing for five qualifying berths when the African qualifiers start in June 2012 and conclude in September 2013.

203 countries will be part of the 824 qualifiers for the right to claim one of 32 berths at the 2014 World Cup finals.

Brazil will host the competition from 12 June - 13 July 2014.

AFRICAN ZONE DRAW

Group A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia or Ethiopia

Group B: Tunisia, Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea or Madagascar

Group C: Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco, Gambia, Chad or Tanzania

Group D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho or Burundi

Group E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe or Congo

Group F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles or Kenya, Djibouti or Namibia

Group G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros or Mozambique

Group H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritrea or Rwanda

Group I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau or Togo, Swaziland or Congo DR

Group J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Mauritius or Liberia

..

[jeff91]

Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has been ranked as the eighth highest-paid African footballers abroad.

Soccer is big business, and the players- the talented, the savvy and the fluky-have benefitted immensely from satisfying the cravings of enthusiastic, idolizing fans.

Stars like Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have earned colossal fortunes playing the game they love.

And African players have not been left out in the magic of it all. Based solely on their annual salaries, these are the highest-paid African soccer players:

Yaya Toure

Country of citizenship: Ivory Coast

Club: Manchester City

Annual salary: $13.5 million

The 28 year-old Ivorian midfielder is the highest paid African player in the English Premier league.

Made global headlines last summer when he left Barcelona (after a very successful streak) to join his elder brother Kolo at Manchester City. Smart move:

Toure currently earns $320,000 a week. Other compensation includes an image rights payment of $2.5 million a year and an additional $1.3 million bonus every time Manchester City qualifies for the Champions League.

Samuel Eto’o

Country of citizenship: Cameroon

Club: Inter Milan

Annual salary: $12 million

The revered Cameroonian striker is a four-time winner of the African Player of the Year award.

He scored over 100 goals with previous club Barcelona FC over a five season period. His weekly take-home pay stands at $300,000.

Eto’o bagged the African Player of the Year award for three consecutive years in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Country of citizenship: Togo

Club: Manchester City

Annual salary: $12 million

Born to Nigerian parents in Togo, the Manchester City striker started out his career playing for OC Agaza, a Togolese football club based in Lome.

In July 2009 he exited Arsenal, signing a five-year contract with Manchester City, for a transfer fee of $40 million. Earns $220,000 a week.

In January he signed a loan deal to play for Real Madrid. Endorses energy drink, Power horse.

Kolo Toure

Country of citizenship: Ivory Coast

Club: Manchester City

Annual salary: $10.3 million

Kolo plays with Manchester City alongside younger brother, Yaya Toure. In March 2011 he was placed on suspension from the club after failing a drug test.

He denies wrong-doing, claiming he inadvertently took diet pills meant for his wife. Investigations are still ongoing, but the worst that could happen is a 2 year-ban from football. Don’t feel too sorry: he’s got plenty of money.

Currently earns $190,000 a week; has a boot deal with Adidas.

Frederic Kanoute

Country of citizenship: Mali

Club: Sevilla FC

Annual salary: $8.6 million

The 33 year-old French-born Malian footballer plays for Sevilla FC in the Spanish La Liga. Before Sevilla, had played for Lyon, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur.

A devout Muslim, in 2007 he paid $700,000 to purchase a mosque in Seville for Muslim locals after the contract on the premises had expired, and it was about to be sold out.

Earns $180,000 a week.

Didier Drogba

Country of citizenship: Ivory Coast

Club: Chelsea

Annual salary: $8 million

One of the most highly rated strikers in the world, Drogba is currently the highest goal-scorer for the Cote D’Ivoire national soccer team and is Chelsea’s 6th highest goal scorer of all time. Currently his earnings stand at $185,000 a week.

The 33 year-old has endorsement deals with Nike, Pepsi, Samsung and Orange France.

Large heart: Has committed some $5 million to building a children’s home in Abidjan.

John Mikel Obi

Country of citizenship: Nigeria

Club: Chelsea

Annual salary: $5,800,000,

Many complain of Mikel Obi’s petulance, but why would he care? He makes $110,000 a week.

The 24 year-old Nigerian midfielder is the highest paid soccer player from Nigeria.

He started off his career with Plateau United, a Nigerian club, before stints with Ajax Cape Town in South Africa and Norwegian side Lynn Oslo.

Endorsement deals include Pepsi and Samsung.

Michael Essien

Country of citizenship: Ghana

Club: Chelsea

Annual salary: $5,500,000

The 28 year-old Ghanaian-born, Chelsea midfielder currently earns $110,000 a week.

In 2005, he signed with Chelsea for a $38 million fee, making him the most expensive African footballer at the time.

Started off his career playing for Liberty Professionals, a Ghanaian football club based in Accra; went on to play for French clubs SC Bastia and Lyon before joining Chelsea.

Outside the pitch, enjoys endorsement deals with African telecom group MTN, Samsung and Pepsi.

how is mikel getting more than essien, he is a bench warmer

[DennisRodman817]

Jeff...they just paid nigerians more than ghanians cuz they know we are better producers of footballers!

[Naija Attitude]

true

[TshabalalaGH]

No way Mikel gets paid more than Essien. Haha what a joke. Mikel isn't fit to lace Essien's boots!

[diko]

Originally Posted by DennisRodman817

Jeff...they just paid nigerians more than ghanians cuz they know we are better producers of footballers!

Just because one Nigerian player gets a higher salary than a Ghanaian one doesn't mean that Nigerian footballers are better than Ghanaian ones

[DennisRodman817]

Originally Posted by diko

Just because one Nigerian player gets a higher salary than a Ghanaian one doesn't mean that Nigerian footballers are better than Ghanaian ones

We will see in 4 days....all u ghanians just like to talk nonsense as usual...its time for nigeria to show ghanians that the beast of the africa is back in full force!!!

[TshabalalaGH]

Originally Posted by diko

Just because one Nigerian player gets a higher salary than a Ghanaian one doesn't mean that Nigerian footballers are better than Ghanaian ones

Those numbers btw are clearly wrong and just guesstimates based on newspaper speculations.

[Deebo.]

Kevin-Prince Boateng retires from Black Stars



Page last updated at 11:12 GMT, Friday, 4 November 2011
E-mail this to a friendPrintable version
By Ibrahim Sannie
BBC Sport
Boateng has retired after playing for Ghana for just 18 months
Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has announced his retirement from international football.

The 24-year-old, an ex-Germany U19 player, switched nationality last year to represent the Black Stars.

The AC Milan midfielder, who played for Ghana for 18 months, said frequent injuries were behind the decision.

"The Ghana FA has received a letter from player Kevin-Prince Boateng on his decision to resign from the Black Stars," a Ghana FA statement read.

"According to Kevin, the physical demands of playing for both club and country at high levels are taking a toll on his health.

"The player also explained that in order to remain healthy and stay off any injuries, he has consulted his doctors and family over the matter and has decided to take the decision to excuse himself from national duties since he is on a special training that he has to interrupt to honour national invitations.

"The Ghana FA is yet to take a position on the decision of Kevin-Prince Boateng."

The news comes as a blow for the Black Stars, who are seeking to win the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in January.

The midfielder has been in good form for his Italian club this season, scoring a hat-trick against Lecce in a league match last month.

But the decision does not leave Ghana short of midfield options, as youngsters Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Ayew as well as Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari are still available for the national team.

[Deebo.]

He used ghana so he can play in the world cup smh, come 2014 he will unretire and try to represent the black stars if they qualify for brazil.

He is very arrogant and thinks ghana is too small for him and only wants to play for them when the world cup comes around.

[ChilenoFutbol]

Does anyone here know any news of the Chile Ghana supposed to be played on February 29 in New York. I have been looking for information, and i can not even confirm that it will be played. Any information will be appreciated.

[obeeme]

..

Ghana have sacked the coach of its national football team after the Black Stars failed to reach the finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

A statement on Monday from the Ghana Football Association said it had "parted company" with Serbian coach Goran Stevanovic, who signed a two-year deal in January 2011.

It named assistant coach Kwesi Appiah as his replacement on an interim basis.

"We would like to express our gratitude to the general public for their concerns about the national team and their patience so far," Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi said in the statement.

Ghana, 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists, had over a year ago appointed Stevanovic as the coach of the four-time African champions.

Stevanovic, 45, promised to deliver Ghana a Nations Cup trophy after a three-decade wait when he was contracted.

But the team failed to win the 2012 African Cup of Nations nations after it was knocked out by eventual winners Zambia in the semi-finals.
..

[obeeme]

The Ghana Football Association has fired coach Goran Stevanovic after the team lost to Zambia in the semifinals of the African Cup of Nations in February.

It was Ghana's first loss under Stevanovic, who took over in January 2011.

Assistant coach Kwesi Appiah will take over until a replacement is found.

GFA spokesman Sanni Diarra told the Associated Press that ''the decision comes after three weeks of extensive meetings to ensure that the best decision is taken in the best interest of the nation.''

Stevanovic says his firing was unexpected.

The Serbian coach says ''in football there is a lot of stress and it is unpredictable. I am more surprised; I am not disappointed. It is normal in our lives.''

[obeeme]

Serbian Stevanovic, who was appointed in January 2011, appears to have paid the price for the Black Stars' failure to reach the final of the African Nations Cup last month.

Ghana made it to the last four but went down to eventual winners Zambia. They then lost the third-place play-off 2-0 to Mali.

A statement from the Ghana FA today read: "The Ghana Football Association has parted company with Goran Stevanovic as the Black Stars coach today.

"This comes after three weeks of extensive meetings to ensure that the best decision is taken in the best interest of the nation."

Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi said: "We would like to express our gratitude to the general public for their concerns about the national team and their patience so far."

Assistant coach Kwegsi Appiah has been asked to take temporary charge until a permanent successor is found

[obeeme]

Africa football legend Abedi Ayew Pele has revealed AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng as his favourite player in the Italian Serie A following his impressive performances with the Rossoneri.

The 25-year-old has been on fire for his club ever since he joined them after the 2010 World Cup. He has registered 52 appearances and has 11 goals to his name.

Abedi believes that such a feat is worth commending because the German-born Ghanaian has been impressive at the Milan giants.

“He went there as a player that nobody considered that can top the Italian league and he has been able to prove himself and has proved to the club that he is one of the great players that the club can maintain and can look forward to,” the three-time Africa Player of the Year told Goal.com. “I’m happy that he is a Ghanaian and has been able to achieve all that.”

Boateng has quit international football because he claims he finds it difficult committing to both club and country due to the workload involved. However, it is generally believed by Ghanaians that the main reason for his premature retirement from national duty was due to a row with former Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic.

Abedi has called on Ghana authorities to put aside all egos to meet the player and reconsider his decision because his sterling performances could help the Black Stars to do better in future tournaments.

“We need him. We don’t have to be arrogant. You must have some managerial skill to be able to manage certain difficult players in the team because when you have a group you always have difficult people in the group and it’s up to you the manager to bring them together and bring success to your country,” he advised.

“So it all comes to managerial skills because you can be good on the ground as fantastic tactician, but you must have managerial skill to bring egos together and turn it into a winning side. If people can really convince him to comeback it will help us in a great deal.”**